The U.S. Supreme Court issues two related rulings that broaden presidential control over top officials while preserving limits for the Federal Reserve. In the first decision, the court allows the president to remove leaders of many independent federal agencies at will, even when laws set fixed terms. The court reverses a long-standing precedent from 1935 that had restricted presidential removal power, concluding that presidents may fire officials who head or run agencies with independent status.
The second ruling addresses the Federal Reserve specifically. The court affirms the Fed’s independence and bars the president from firing at least one Fed governor “at will” while the governor’s term is ongoing. Taken together, the decisions expand executive influence over much of the regulatory state, but they create an explicit carve-out protecting central-bank independence.
Following the ruling, outlets report government-wide follow-on effects, including renewed legal scrutiny and questions about how far the president’s removal power extends to other agency officials and ongoing disputes.
